Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set (116 page)

"This will calm you down.”

She stood in his path and molded her body to his, loving the way it felt to be next to him, though his muscles seemed a little less defined and he smelled of sweat. 

"I would never have described the effect you had on me as calming Tory."

Oh how she wanted to kiss him she thought.  But she didn't.  She stepped back and showed him the pot. 

"I was talking about this silly."

"Tease," he muttered under his breath, moving to his dresser for his pipe.

As he packed the bowl she rubbed her hands over his shoulders, whispering into his ear.  "I would never tease you baby.  You know better than that.  So, we'll get stoned, you'll get showered, and then we'll go out okay?"

"Whatever." He didn’t look too thrilled at the prospect.

He lit the bowl, and took a deep lungful, then passed it to her.  They finished the bowl and when he lay back on the bed, she lay back with him, staring at him as his eyes closed again. 

She knew that weed made her tired sometimes but she couldn't have him going to sleep.  She rummaged around in her purse for her soda and handed it him.  "Drink some of this.  It's got plenty of caffeine.”

He opened his eyes halfway and sat up, leaning back against the headboard.  "Ugh, diet," he said as he took a big drink. 

"Of course it's diet."

She started laughing, which got Tony laughing.  It was so good to see him laugh again.  She took his hand and he let her, joining his fingers with hers.  It was like being home, home in the middle of a damned tornado, but what the hell she thought. 

She let him doze for a few minutes and then she shook him gently.  "Come on babe, I'm hungry.  Get showered so we can go out."

"Mmm, just five more minutes Tor.”

"No baby.”

She kissed the side of his neck and then moved to his lips, parting them gently with her tongue.  He moaned when she pulled away from him a few minutes later and then let out a quiet sigh. 

"Oh, how I've missed you Tory."

"Believe me Tony, the feeling is mutual.  Come on.  Get in the shower before it's too late and we end up with convenience store nachos as our only choice for dinner."

She pulled him to his feet and then walked with him to the shower, faking a protest when he grabbed her ass as she was leaving the bathroom and spun her around, pulling her to him for another heart stopping kiss. 

“I'm spending the night, so we'll have plenty of time for that later.  Get that hot body of yours clean so we can go."

He gave her a mock salute and then bent down to turn on the water.  She went back in the bedroom, and was rummaging through his drawers to find him something clean to wear when he called her from the bathroom. 

"Tor, come here please."

When she entered the bathroom he was standing under the spray.  The shower curtain was gone and water was spraying the small room.

"What's up Tony?"

"I'm so tired Tory.  Can't you let me go to sleep?  You can order a pizza if you're hungry."

He looked as if he was about to fall asleep on his feet.  Scared that he would fall, she quickly stripped off her clothes and climbed into the shower with him, taking the bar of soap from his hand and soaping him up. 

“Oh, Tor, I love you.”

"I love you too, Tony.  We'll go out for a while.  Then we'll come back and I'll let you go to sleep after you've made hot passionate love to me."

He opened his eyes.  "Why can't I make love to you now?  We can order a pizza and be done by the time it gets here."

"Don't spoil my fun.  You need the fresh air, the exercise.  And the anticipation, that makes it even better.”

"I know all about anticipation darlin’.  I wanted you so bad the first time that I saw you that I pictured you every time I was with a chick until I got with you."

She laughed, reaching over to turn off the water.  "And then when you were with me you pictured someone else?" 

"Hell no." He took her hand and pulled her out of the shower with him.  "You were better than I thought you'd be.  Especially when I turned you into a sex addict."

"I'm not a sex addict," she protested weakly as he threw a towel at her, a towel that was mercifully clean though it was surprising considering the present state of his house. 

He snorted.  "There's no need to pretend with me.  I'm not going to think you're without morals or that you're a slut because you like sex."

She could feel herself blushing and wondered if he noticed.  She moved away from him and back into the bedroom, staying silent.  Right now, it was almost like old times.  She was beginning to let herself believe that everything might turn out all right after all. 

Of course it wasn't going to be easy for Tony to quit the hard drugs but she was willing to do whatever she could to help him.  She was sure that his aunt and uncle would do what they could, too.  Right now she just wanted to get him out of the house, and keep him up for a while so she was sure that he was safe. 

With all her other knowledge of things useful as well as almost useless, she didn't have much knowledge of overdoses.  But common sense told her that with all the drugs and alcohol he'd ingested lately, that it certainly wouldn't hurt him to get some exercise and a real meal. 

When she had finished dressing and came out of the bathroom, having run a brush through her hair, she found him sitting on the end of the bed, fully dressed, shoes on but untied, eyes closed again.  She bent down and tied his shoes.  When the movement didn't rouse him, she reached up and rubbed her hand over the crotch of his jeans.  That was sure to wake him up she thought.  But it didn’t. 

She had stood up and was considering going to the bathroom for more cold water when he reached out and grabbed her hand, giving her his trademark cocky grin.  "Did you think you were going to get away with teasing me again?" He pulled her into his arms. 

She pulled back from a heated kiss a moment later, reaching for her cell phone.  It was almost nine o'clock.  If she remembered right most of the restaurants downtown closed at ten in the winter and they still had a walk ahead of them. 

"C'mon Tony.  We gotta go.  I'm starving."

She took his hand and pulled him to his feet, reaching for her jacket. 

"Fine.  But we need to stop for cigarettes on the way.  I can't believe I ran out."

"I still have a few.  We can stop on the way back.  Let's get outta here."

He followed her through the living room, grabbing his jacket from a pile beside the couch and pocketing his house keys.  They walked briskly in the cool night air.  She missed his beat up old car.

"When are you gonna get another car?"

"Hell, Tor, I don't know.  It's not like I can rush out to the dealership tonight and pick up a new set of wheels.  I may give my uncle a call in the morning.  He has a friend that was looking to sell a car a while back.  It's an old lady car, but it's in damn good condition as far as I know.  His mom used it to get to the grocery store and stuff.  Then she died.  He doesn't want to keep it because it smells like old lady perfume and cigarettes."

"You don't think it would ruin your tough guy image, driving some dead old lady's car?"

He snorted.  "As if I give a shit what anyone around here really thinks of me?  As long as it drives down the road I don't care.  Or is it you who would be embarrassed being seen in a car that probably has a bumper sticker that says 'I love bingo'?"  He laughed. 

She shook her head, taking his hand as a thought suddenly struck her.  If he would agree it would be beautiful she thought.  "Hey Tony?"

"Hey Tory?"  He mimicked, pulling her close to him as they rounded the corner, coming up on the edge of the downtown area. 

"If you do get that car would you mind giving me a ride?"

"I'll give you a ride anytime darlin'." He gave her a sexy grin. 

She rolled her eyes at him.  "I meant a ride in the car."

"Oh, so now you want that poor old lady rolling over in her grave because you're hot to screw in the backseat of her car?"

She reached out and smacked him in the arm, as they paused in the little strip mall, looking at the food options.  "You know what I meant Tony.  I want you to give me a ride home or to that ridiculously expensive way too big for two people house that Lindsey and Langston call home."

He raised an eyebrow.  "You want to take me home to meet the parents?"

"Ugh, no.  I mean yes.  Well sort of.  You wouldn't have to stay if you didn't want to.  I would love to see the look on my mother's face when she saw you."

"I happen to know that I have starred in many a middle aged woman's wet dream.”

She glared at him.  "Be serious Tony.  Lindsey doesn't think twice about sex unless she knows that the guy’s got at the very least six digits in his bank account.  And a guy who makes less than half a mil a year makes her feel like she's slumming.  I have no idea what my father saw in her.  Can we talk about this inside before we freeze to death and before they close down for the night?  Do you want Chinese, or greasy diner food?  Or there's that sandwich place a couple blocks over.  They're really good."

"Anything's fine with me." He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. 

She sighed.  "We'll go to the diner."

She took his arm, and they walked to the diner.  When she opened the door, the smells of grease and coffee mingled to create an aroma that somehow ended up being pleasant.  The place was dead.  But Tory was glad for the relative quiet as a waitress with big hair seated them at a booth in the back corner, leaving them with menus and promising to return in a minute with their drinks. 

Not looking at the menu, knowing that she wanted a burger and fries, Tory looked across the table at Tony.  "What do you think about taking me home Tony, really?  I'll make my mom pay for gas."

"Well, hell Tor.  Let me see if that guy's still got the car and we'll go from there."

The waitress brought their drinks and asked if they were ready to order.  After they had placed their orders Tory sat looking at Tony.  It seemed like she'd upset him, asking him to take her home.  Maybe it was too early to bring up something like that she thought. 

Tory sighed quietly.  Tony looked up.  He'd been playing with his butter knife, the easy comfortable mood they'd shared at his house virtually gone.  He took a sip of his coffee.  "What?"

"I don't know Tony." She stopped as the waitress brought their food and the mustard that Tony had requested for his burger.  "I guess we need to talk."

"That we do," he said almost gravely.  Then he gave her a smirk.  "We'll have plenty of time to talk after I take a trip to my absolute favorite place in the world."

Confused she said "Huh?"  Then it dawned on her that he was talking about sex.

"How I've missed that nice, tight warm place."

Rolling her eyes at him, she dipped a fry into ketchup and put it in her mouth.  Tony reached across the table and brushed a crumb from the corner of her mouth.  The moment suddenly became too intimate.  She saw in his eyes that he was ready to leave.  When the waitress came by a minute or two later to ask how they were doing, they asked for to go boxes and the check.  They paid the bill and left the waitress a tip and then left the restaurant.

"I really wish your car was running." They walked hand in hand down the darkened streets. 

Balancing the Styrofoam boxes Tony almost growled "So do I."

His intentions were clear in his eyes.  Tory thought that she could always see the change in his eyes when he was getting hot. 

"We can go for cigarettes afterwards.  Or I probably have a pack somewhere in that mess in the house."

She squeezed his hand.  "That's fine."

But she was feeling anything but fine.  Her body was practically humming being so close to Tony after weeks apart.  The anticipation was making her feel high again, but she was worried about afterwards.  What if they had sex and then the talking; the confessing , of what she'd done or more like who she'd done while they were apart was what finally drove them apart forever she thought? 

She didn't think she could take it.  She might do something stupid to get kicked out of school so she could get the hell out of town and away from all the memories.  Not that that would be an easy feat, with loopy Marcune thinking that the fate of the school rested on the shoulders of Tory and the few other girls at the school that were making the grade she thought. 

And Tony, who knew what would happen to Tony?  He might go out and find the guy that had robbed him and do something that would land him in jail or prison.  She had to choose her words very carefully she thought. 

Oh, she was going to have a heart attack before they made it back to his house she thought. 

They were less than two blocks from home when Tony stopped and said "Shit."

"What?" 

He'd scared the crap out of her when he'd spoken.  The night was silent and she'd been lost in her thoughts.  "We have to go back to the convenience store.  I don't have any condoms."

“I've been taking those birth control pills, just in case.  It's probably been long enough that we should be safe right?"